Improved process op ornamenting- boots and shoes



waited sate strut dliijiirr.

EDWARD JOHN SCOTT, OF GLASGOW, GREAT BRITAIN.

Letters Patent No. 90,312, dated May 18, 1869.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF ORNAMEN'I'ING- BOOTS AND SHOES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making, part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern.-

ing of boots and shoes in such a way, as, while presenting an appearancesimilar to but more effective than that produced by ornamentalstitching, to be much more economically produced, and capable of beingeasily renovated.

Prior to my invention, the ornamentation of boots on patent or enamelledleather was efi ected by stitching by hand, or with the sewing-machine,the process being termed flourishing; and

My invention'consist-s inv imitating and superseding this process byprinting with enamel or japan varnish on the patent or enamelledleather. Simple as this idea may appear, many and great difficultieshave been met with in reducing it to practice, and it was only afterpe'rsevering and constant application for upwards of seven months thatsatisfactory results were ultimately arrived at.

And in order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I proceed to particularly describe the processes I employ.

As the condition of the enamelled or japanned leather is of considerableimportance, care must betaken, in preparing the leather for japanning,that the grease and oil used for stuffing or softening it, is spreadevenly over. the surface, and is used in as small a quantity as willsuffice for the purpose.

The japanned leather is carefully rubbed with a wash-leather, wet withturpentine, or, as it is sometimes termed, spirits of turpentine, andpolished with a dry wash-leather immediately before printing.

vThe blocks for printing are, by preference, made with pieces of copper,producing small uniform oblong marks in imitation of stitches, but rounddots and continuous lines may also be used with a very similar effect.

The ornamental devices are, in some cases, produced by printing with twoor more blocks in different colors;

and colored patches may be first printed, and have dotted worksubsequently added over or around them, in imitation of patches ofcolored cloth or leather fixed by stitching.

In printing, the blocks may be applied by hand, or by any convenientkind of printing-press.

The pigment used for printing the devices is composed of fortyparts byweight of copal varnish, such as is usually employed in making japan,twenty, parts raw refined linseed-oil, and orty parts ofcoloring-matter, finely ground in raw refined linseed-oil.

The varnish and oil are put in a well-stoppered bottle, and frequentlyshaken for three or four days before adding the coloring-matter, and themixture is also frequently shaken afterwards, exposure to the airbeing'always prevented, as much as possibe, by keeping the bottle stopped.

That is taken out for use does not remain in proper condition for morethan four hours.

In some cases the varnislrmay be colored or embellished after printing,by applying gold-leaf, bronzepowder, or dust-colors before it is dry.

When printed, the leather is kept in an oven or drying-room, at atemperature of 110 to 120 Fahrenheit, for about six hours; it is thensubjected to a temperature of about 1Q0- for about twelve hours;

and finally, to a temperature of about 75 for about twenty-four hours.The drying-chambers are arranged so that the air in them is continuallychanging.

When a second printing is to be applied, the leather, with the firstprinting on it thoroughly dried, as last hereinbefore described, is, bypreference, afterwards subjected to a temperature of about 60 for abouttwelve hours before applying the second printing.

Itis 'obvious that a great variety of elaborate devices may be producedin this manner, much more perfectly and cheaply than by stitching.

The brilliancy of the colors can also at any time be renovated by washing, whereas when .ornamental stitching is once soiled it cannot beproperly cleaned; moreover, the leather is much injured by theneedle-perforations. 7

Having thus particularly described my said invention, and the manner inwhich the same is to be performed, I have to state that what I desire tobe secured by Letters Patent, is

The ornamenting ofboots and shoes by printing with varnish-colors inimitation of stitched work, substantially as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. J. SCOTT.

Witnesses EDMUND HUNT, ALEXB. TEMPLETON.

